


The Empress and Her Dragon

by Dr_Roslin



Series: Empresses of The Galactic Empire [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adorably soft kittens, Archivist Ben, Bringing in help to do so, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Coruscant (Star Wars), Counselor Armitage Hux, Counselor Rose Tico, Delegating for one's work-life balance, Earning one's HEA, Empress Rey, F/M, GingerRose Future, Guardianship, HEA, Hint of GingerRose, Past Character Death, Sibling Relationship, Soft Ben Solo, discussions of pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:27:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Roslin/pseuds/Dr_Roslin
Summary: The galaxy watches in fear and respect as Empress Rey Palpatine bends the constellations to her will. All fear her; few know her. The one exception may be her sweet and (slightly) eccentric husband, Ben Solo, Chief Archivist for Coruscant, a man rarely seen in public outside of formal events. It was meant to be a political marriage, meant to protect them both. They barely know each other. So why do her advisors keep finding ways to put him in her path? And what secrets are the two of them hiding? About him, his past, hers?Based on the following promptCurious Cat Prompt: You know the trope where a dangerous volatile man is only soft for his girl? Let's reverse it: the Galaxy knows that the only thing that calms its Empress is her sweet goofy librarian of a husband.— 🎃Reylo “Pumpkin Spice” Prompts🎃 (@reylo_prompts)July 31, 2020
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Kylo Ren | Ben Solo
Series: Empresses of The Galactic Empire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013700
Comments: 38
Kudos: 134
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	1. The Empress

**Author's Note:**

> Some prompts are just too good to resist.

**Monday**

‘There’s my good girl. There’s my kitten. That’s right, baby, take it all in, you can do it. Just like that; such a good girl taking it all in. So much for you, isn’t it? But you can do it, just take it all for me, pretty girl.’

Rey Palpatine, Empress, Mistress of the Sith, Scourge of the Jedi and Blade of the Unforgiven, tried to keep from smiling as she walked into the dusty Imperial Archives deep on Corusant. Giving up, she laughed quietly to herself as she heard the deep bass rumble of her husband’s voice as she followed it deeper and deeper into the catacombs of the installation and it was easier for her to make out exactly what she was hearing. 

It almost sounded like-

‘- Not all at once, mind, that’s my good girl, my pretty little girl. You can do it. Just swallow it down. Such a good girl, taking it all for me like that -’

Still laughing to herself, she hid her smile behind her knuckle. She wasn't quite sure what he was up to, but whatever it was, she was sure it would be worth the price of admission. 

As the click of her heels on the concrete floor tapped out a dire warning, she was happier than she could have thought possible that she’d left her Knights guarding the facility instead of accompanying her into the archives proper. She wasn’t sure she wanted any witnesses to how badly her husband was currently making her laugh, and she'd yet to actually find down her errant spouse.

‘ - Such a good girl. Such a pretty little thing, doing just what I ask - ’

Sure enough, turning the final corner, she found her errant beast of a husband in an almost unfathomable position, his large frame perched on the very edge of the cement retaining wall that jutted out from the walk-out balcony that leads out into the botanical gardens at the back of the Archives, cooing at the tiny kitten curled in his massive palms as he fed it in the sunshine as it sucked what looked like milk out of a tiny makeshift bottle.

‘There’s my little kitten, that’s right. Drink it down for me, precious.’

Looking at the ridiculous picture he presented and coming down from the ridiculous images she’d been building up in her mind over the past few minutes, she had to stifle the laughter that threatened to burst from her lungs. It must have been the day she’d been having; it was the only thing she could think of to explain how she’d contemplated for a split second what it would look like in the situation his words had evoked. Instead, here she finds him, nursing a stray kitten with what looks like an old water bottle and a makeshift rubber nipple.

‘My Lord Ren,’ she greets him, unable to stop the soft smile at the scene, as she moves over to sit next to him on the concrete barrier, careful not to jostle him as she peers over his shoulder at the tiny scrap of life he’s nursing patiently in his palm. 'I must admit to some relief husband, given that we've been married for less than six months. I understand choosing to marry me was as much of a political decision as it was a personal one, but still… It is only good etiquette to warn your wife about such things.'

‘Indeed, Majesty,’ he answers in return with a smile, carefully bussing her check the way he does sometimes, when it’s just the two of them and he’s not so focus on every scrap of protocol he insists on following with her in public. His long dark hair brushed against her neck and as she looked up into his warm brown eyes and idly wondered what it would sound like if he spoke to her in the same tone as he had the tiny kitten. Wondered what it might be like to have his knuckle softly stroke the scruff of her neck the way it does the small cat.

‘In that regard, I had hoped we had progressed to you calling me Ben, at least when it’s just the two of us,’ he continued and she leaned carefully into his warmth.

‘Perhaps,’ she smiles, ‘though we are far from alone.’

‘I know, I can feel them, your Knights of Ren, lurking at every entrance. The shorter one, the one you call Jacen, I can feel him lurking, just on the other side of that rise.’

‘I meant the kitten, _Ben_ , and you can hardly blame my Knights for being as yet unsure as to how exactly how all of this should work. It’s new for all of us, the Empress having a husband. One,’ she tells him archly, ‘who is supposed to call her Rey, when they are alone.’

‘Well, _Rey_ , it’s a surprise to see you here in the middle of the day, though a welcome one. What brings you here to my – menagerie, I guess you’d call it – on such a beautiful day? I thought you had to be locked up with your counselors all day.’

She snorts, and almost looks around guiltily before she remembers that she can do that, with him, that she can trust to ignore, even embrace, evidence of her humanity. That he’s one of the few she can afford to be at least that vulnerable with.

‘Morons,’ she huffs. ‘They’re all fricking morons. I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with this, all them, them and their stupid insistence on things that don’t matter.’

She can feel herself getting worked up again, the stress headache that had momentarily dissipated while she played with the kitten ramping back up to full strength, just as he nudges her gently with his shoulder and she looks down to again gently melt into him a little bit.

_Just so she can get a better angle to stroke her finger gently down the kitten’s fur,_ she thinks. _Yes, that’s it, the only reason. Just for the angle._

‘Stupid Poe Dameron. Apparently there’s resistance among some of the Outer Rim’s governors to the plan we set in motion last week to divert the planned defence funding into healthcare spending in light of the recent outbreak on Yavin 4, and Dameron insisted that we’d have to deal with that. Idiots. As if we have to listen to a bunch of sniveling old men arguing that they needed to upgrade their arsenals twice in six months when there’s a universal health emergency.’

‘I take it Dameron was insistent at pushing home their points.’

‘Idiot. I swear, sometimes when I read him, all I can see is the lights of the cockpit pulsing in his brain. As if there’s nothing up there but laser blasts rattling around in an empty hold.’

‘He is remarkably focused at times.’

‘Yeah, that’s one word for it.’

‘The situation in the Outer Rim is looking dire, I imagine there must be a great deal of fear there, right now.’

‘Yes, the numbers are levelling off, but I’m still concerned about the long-term health implications, and if we can’t get the numbers of patients stabilized, there won’t be enough of anyone to run the hospitals there, let alone the economy and the armed forces.’

It was amazing, how talking things out with her husband just made things easier to grasp, easier to deal with, as if it was just a matter of taking the most reasonable course and making it stick. She’d been so angry on her way down here, the rage just pulsing through her, almost burning her skin, as she’d walked, and it was if the sight of him and the feel of his shoulder pressing against hers or the gentle hand on her wrist made everything come to make sense again. Talking to him, discussing issues with him, working things out with him, and she’d come to grasp a better perspective on the entire issue than she’d had the entire morning.

‘Anyway, _Counselor_ Hux had suggested there might be a precedent somewhere in the Archives as to previous health emergencies, so I decided to come down and see if you had something on hand that I could use to rub Dameron’s in it.’

Actually Armitage Hux had made a rather disparaging comment about how if her bookworm of a husband could probably dig into his files to find something useful and that provided the dust that covered it and him didn’t give her allergies he might actually prove himself useful, but knowing how he felt about Hux (she could hardly blame him), she left that part out. She also left out the part of how she’d Force thrown Hux against the durasteel wall to make a point about being disrespectful regarding her consort, but she didn’t think he needed to hear about that either.

‘Well, the good news is that Hux’s _delightful_ intervention means that you’re free to have an early dinner with me. They’re supposed to delivering it in less than hour, we can plan to have it set out here, enjoy the twilight.’

‘Wait,’ she looked at her tall, large husband, whose beautiful open face, too pale as always from all the hours he spent in the artificial light of the Archives, gave away any attempts to deceive her. ‘How did you know to order dinner? Did Hux tell you I was coming?’

‘Sadly no, though I would be more inclined to think fondly of him had he done so. No, Rose was supposed to have dinner with me tonight since you were working. She cancelled only about twenty minutes before you arrived though, so I hadn’t gotten around to telling the staff. Works out to your benefit, it’s your favourite; pot roast. I won’t even make you eat the vegetables she ordered to go with it.’

‘Your sister does have great taste,’ she told him, leaning in. ‘Thank the gods I thought to put her on the Council after we married, she’s the only one who can help me keep in Hux in check.’ 

‘You’ve no need of anyone to keep that man in check, my love.‘

‘True, but it’s nice to have back-up.’

And it was. The chance to get to know Rose Tico was the best wedding present her husband could have given her, and the fact that her new sister-in-law had turned into one of her most prescient and reliable advisors meant that she could breathe, at least a little, enjoy her husband’s company from time to time instead of simply subsisting on protein bars at her desk as she worked into the night as she used to. It was helpful, honestly, to have people to whom she could trust to delegate, and Rose was the ultimate example of that.

‘It’s too bad,’ she told her husband now. ‘Those first few weeks, I thought that earlier spark between her and Finn might develop into something. I hate to see her without someone to appreciate and spoil her, and with your parents being so far away…’

‘Trust me, in some ways that’s a good thing.’ Now was his turn to snort. ‘And I could have told you things with Finn wouldn’t have worked out between Rose and Finn the moment Poe Dameron walked in the room. He may be your best and oldest friend, Rey, but he was a goner for that flyboy the moment they locked eyes.’ 

‘I know, I know,’ she sighed. ‘Those two are almost ridiculously happy together. Plus, they’re the type of couple who never argues.’

‘Really?’ her husband interjected with only a hint of snark. ‘I wonder what that’s like.’

‘Shut it. Anyway, I just want for Rose, that type of overwhelming happiness. She does so much for me, for you, for your parents. It would be nice for her to have someone who puts her first, for once.’

‘You, my dear,’ her husband told her, giving her a direct look, ‘can deny it all you want, can put the galaxy on edge, can stomp around with your Knights and your boots and your glare. You are secretly a romantic.’

Try as she might, she had to smile at him in that moment, basking as she did in his teasing.

‘Don’t tell anyone.’

‘Our secret, your Majesty.’

* * *

_From:[a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)_

_To:[r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)_

_Re: Operation Moose_

_Counselor Rose Tico,_

_I believe you owe me dinner; Operation Moose was a total success and that doofus of a brother of yours managed to effectively soften the edges of our formidable Empress. The holonet footage of their ‘romantic’ dinner together was worth it all by_ _itself_ _._

_Next time though; you get thrown into the durasteel._

_Ever yours in enmity,_

_Armitage Hux_

_Counselor and Chief Military Advisor to Her Imperial Majesty_

_Empress Rey Palpatine_

_The First Oder_

* * *

_From:[r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)_

_To:[a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)_

_Re: Re: Operation Moose_

_Monster-in-Chief Hux,_

_If anything, dinner will be provided by you. And the next time you refer to my brother as a doofus, I’m having her Majesty throw you into something more dangerous than durasteel. The nearest sun, perhaps._

_I agree we should keep this tactic in mind, though, as always, given your smart mouth, I think you will be most effectively used as a focus for her Majesty's ire._

_In the meantime, keep well my most despicable one, and may you be eaten by the snow creates of the Ice Planet Hoth on your next trip to the Outer Rim. I would be most pleased to hear they have developed indigestion as a result of indulging at length of your sweet self._

_Sincerely,_

_Rose Tico_

_Counselor and Chief Attendant to Her Imperial Majesty_

_Empress Rey Palpatine_

_The First Oder_

_P.S. The holonet footage was quite effective, I will grant you that. The candelight did wonders for the romantic atmosphere we were looking to portray._


	2. Legacy Families and Diplomatic Visits

**Friday**

‘No kitten, today?’

‘Not today. One of the student researchers adopted her, I’m afraid, but she’s off to a good home.’

'Did they ever find out where she had come from?' she asked, trailing her fingers across the piles of books stacked haphazardly on his desk as she wondered around the window, even if it was mainly to keep from staring at him. She'd no idea where this urge to catalogue the moles on his face with her fingers had come from.

'There's a gazebo in the back garden of the archives. Apparently, they found the rest of the litter there.'

He was sitting comfortably back in his chair, watching her, she could feel his eyes on her body as she moved, and as always she indulged in the thrill that moved through her in response.

‘Well, that’s good news,’ she told him, though honestly she’d been tempted a moment, to have him bring the little cat home. It had made quite the picture, the tiny kitten curled in her husband’s massive paws. 

She indulged, this time, in the idea of how she would look, kept safe in his massive hands. They were still figuring it out, this relationship, this marriage, and the physical part of it were as new to him as it was to her, she imagined. Sometimes she wondered what it might be like, to spend her day curled up in bed naked with her large husband, to give in to the sensations she increasingly felt what she was wrapped safe in his arms.

‘I did wonder if it might be a good idea, to keep her. I hear keeping a domestic animal as a pet is an effective way to deal with stress.’

‘Is that a hint, husband?’

‘Might be easier on the walls. Also perhaps your staff.’

‘You heard about what happened that day, eh?’

‘Sweetheart, you threw your top military advisor into a durasteel wall with a flick of a wrist after he insulted your husband. You didn’t think people would think to mention it to me?’

‘Alright, I may have lost my temper at that point,’ she told him, trying not to blush a little at the way he was looking at her. 

He’d been looking at her _that way_ since she’d stomped in to find lunch (Ceasar salad, mushroom ravioli and roasted asparagus, with sorbet and a cheese plate with port for dessert) waiting for her – _I order it every day now, just in case I can tempt you to visit more often,_ she’d finally got him to admit – and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was just that when he looked at her that way she imagined him contemplating if she might taste better than the delicacies prepared by their chefs.

Every time he looked at her like that, she wanted to ask him if wanted a taste.

‘A little? Well, I don’t think Hux will be making that mistake again.’

_Damn straight._

And neither would anyone else, she thought. And if she thought privately that that was a bit of a good thing, her way of reminding those around her that she was still their Empress, no matter her slight stature and low voice, well, that was her prerogative. Especially when it came to reminding them about her policy about people neglecting the dignity of her office and the respect due her consort.

It wasn’t like it was a _bad_ thing, right? To remind them of that?

She thought not. 

Taking her seat on his desk as he looked up at her from his chair, she smiled, relaxed and in the mood to play.

‘Well then, my beloved Lord Ren, how shall we torment our dear, dear General Hux on this fine day?’

She made Ben laugh at that one, and she blessed her sister-in-law and her taste in ridiculous historical melodramas for inspiring her.

‘What have you been watching?’

‘It’s Rose, she keeps making me watch the same film. She can't get enough of it. I can’t remember what it’s called, or what it’s about, really, but you know I usually fall asleep in the middle of films, it's so relaxing to just sit there in comfy chairs in the dark and do nothing - ‘

_-and by that time of day I’m usually so tired –_

‘ – especially the way they talk sometimes. This one was good though, something about a man and a woman arguing over status and family and some sort of bathtub... there might have been a pond and white shirt at some point, I’m not sure. Oh, and absolutely the worst marriage proposal possible. I would have laughed if it weren't so sad. Anyway, the main character made Rose sigh, so that’s mainly why I remember it.’

‘In that case, my beloved Empress, I thought my mother might enjoy the prospect of our dear General Hux waiting upon her. As a reward for his loyal service to you. Perhaps a diplomatic foray to Alderaan might be in line for your admirable courtier.’

‘Why, my dear, sweet, Lord Ren, what an inspired idea. I shall send for him at once in order that you might prepare a message for him to deliver unto her. She shall so enjoy receiving it, I am sure.’

‘Indeed. I shall prepare my finest calligraphy pens for the task.’

He clinked his glass to her as she laughed at him, knowing how he enjoyed this game, almost as much as he would enjoy putting his perfect penmanship to use. And it would never hurt to encourage the resumption of regular correspondence between himself and his mother. She knew they both needed each other’s approval so much, and it was hard for them, at times. 

They’d missed so much, even before her grandfather’s minion Snoke had destroyed the Jedi temple where Ben had been studying under his uncle, the legendary Luke Skywalker. Snoke’s attempts to destroy the Jedi by taking out the temple and Skywalker had backfired spectacularly in the end, but it had meant Ben had spent ten years in hiding at the University of Coruscant, studying archival management under an assumed name. As she’d neared her majority, her grandfather, sensing her power in the Force and a strange connection to the Skywalker lightsaber he’d taken from Luke, had sent her out to find the last Skywalker, enraged by the fact that he couldn’t touch his mother, Leia Organa, safely hidden away with her husband’s smuggling associates in the Outer Rim.

She could still hear her grandfather's hiss in her ear.

_‘We’ll see if she doesn’t come running when we have her son wrapped up nice and tight with us.’_

Rey had gone looking for ‘Ben Organa Skywalker Solo’. She’d found ‘Kylo Ren’ instead, and though she’d done her duty by bringing him home to her grandfather and Snoke, she hadn’t been prepared for the reaction when they’d walked in, or her grandfather’s unholy glee in response to the sense of connection that clearly bound the heirs to the Skywalker and the Palpatine lines.

_‘A dyad. Oh, you have done me proud, granddaughter. And you, young Solo, you shall be free to live up to the potential of your bloodlines, to finish what Darth Vader, our treacherous apprentice, your grandfather, had started.’_

Her grandfather's approval hadn’t lasted, as during the weeks that followed Ben had proved more and more intransient to the idea of joining together with the Master of the Sith, more and more intransient to joining the Dark Side, calling on her instead to more closer and closer to a balance between them. No matter how much the Emperor had pushed Ben, no matter the times he urged Rey to push into Ben’s mind, to show him the possibilities of all they could together at her grandfather’s side, no matter how much her grandfather pushed her to push Ben further, to use her power to _break_ him, the former Jedi apprentice had simply failed to succumb. 

Until finally, pushed to his limits, with Ben kneeling at his mercy and the Skywalker blade in his granddaughter’s hand, Palpatine had had enough. He'd ordered her to end it. Destroy the last Skywalker, slice his throat and take his power for her own.

And end it they had, her and Ben, destroying Snoke and her grandfather in a flurry of blades and fire before joining together to take out the Emperor’s Praetorian guards.

The marriage that had followed, meant as a reassurance that the destructive war between the two houses was finally at an end, was supposed to have been a political one, a convenience, an alliance, not a match. No one could have imagined how it had blossomed, gently, into something more. But then, no one could have imagined the sparks that flew between them when they met each other's eyes. 

And in the meantime, Ben and the vulnerability he represented to her, remained safely hidden away, for the most part, in the Archives he preferred, emerging mainly only for events of the highest significance. Only she knew, of his power. Only she knew of that of which he was capable. Only she knew of the way the fire that burned in his eyes. 

She loved the way it made her feel. 

‘Do give your mother my love, Beloved,’ she told her husband now, enjoying playing the game with him the same way she enjoyed sparring with him and their blades in their private quarters every morning. 

‘I will do so knowing she will treasure every honeyed word from your precious lips.’

‘Oh, too far, too far,’ she rejoined, laughing. ‘The only one who should enjoy anything from these honeyed lips is you.’

And then, shocked, she watched as he brought her hand graciously to his lips.

‘Always, my heart.’

It warmed her, as it always did, his hand on hers, her mouth on her hers, his lips on her hands, her mouth, her body. Her lips on his. It was the best of her day, his body wrapped around hers, her body wrapped around his, especially those times after their morning sparring sessions, when they joined each other to bathe, and the passions provoked by the clash of their blades and their minds led to passions provoked by the way they fit together. The way they rubbed against each other. The pleasure they always provoked while doing so. 

It was still new, they were still a little unsure, but they would find their way, she was sure. In the meantime, she missed him more than she should, while occupied with affairs of state, knew he felt the same. It was one reason which is why he was so supportive of her attempts to bring in more help through the support of his sister and her best friend on her Council, and yes, even by the potential of even having enough trust in Armitage Hux and Poe Dameron to delegate true responsibility to them. There was so much history there, in the bonds of these legacy children she and Finn found themselves surrounded by. Sometimes it tripped her up. Sometimes it was hard for her to navigate the bonds between them all. 

But she was trying, keeping her eye on the end goal.

She was doing her best to delegate, godsdamn it, and she would succeed. She wanted more time to spend with her husband and whatever family they had and choose to make. 

And if that meant she had to roll heads from time to time, so be it.

* * *

From: [ r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com ](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)

To: [ a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com ](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)

Re: Re: Re: Operation Moose

General Hugs, 

I am happy to hear you shall be gaining more appreciation of my family during your foray to pay your respects to my parents when you act as my brother’s messenger. I would remind you that while my father appears easy-going on the surface, he believes in the old adage: Walk softly and carry a big stick. 

In light of that, enjoy meeting my mother. I would not recommend referring to her as the Big Stick. 

While you are gone, I shall continue in my endeavours to keep the galaxy spinning on an even keel, which might be significantly easier without you and Dameron complaining at every turn and undermining every attempt we make to move forward to the pacification of the outlying First Order territories by peaceful means.

(I will admit, reluctantly, that I will miss you acting as a buffer when my brother and his Empress and the StormPilot duo respectively start making goog-lie eyes at each other. I swear, do they think no one notices? Infuriating. It is totally inappropriate for the workplace atmosphere.) 

Safe travels (may you suffer from hyperdrive diarrhea intermittently and only at the worst possible times), and I look forward to your prompt return so that you may continue to make me look even more brilliant in contrast. 

May Chewie bruise all of your ribs,

Sincerely, 

R. Tico

Rose Tico

(Sister) Counselor and Chief Attendant to Her Imperial Majesty

Empress Rey Palpatine

The First Oder

  
  


From: [ a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com ](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)

To: [ r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com ](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Operation Moose

Advisor Tico, 

Much appreciation for your kind thoughts on my safe travels. I assure you, I will return safely and promptly so that I may poke the appropriate holes in your idealistic and unpractical theories on interstellar governance at my earliest convenience.

May you miss me every evening and every morning despite yourself. 

Your favourite monster,

Arms

Armitage Hux

(First) Counselor and Chief Military Advisor to Her Imperial Majesty

Empress Rey Palpatine

The First Oder

P.S. I can’t believe you sent an arrangement of edible flowers to my compartment for my lovely trip to see the Terror of Alderaan. Such a thoughtful gesture on your behalf. Particularly when I’d gone to the trouble of inviting you along.

From: [ r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com ](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)

To: [ a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com ](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)

Re: Fuck Off and Die

You refer to my mother by that odious nickname again, jackass, and I’ll let _her_ throw you into the durasteel.

  
  


Rose Tico (Organa Solo)

The Only True Advisor to Her Imperial Majesty

Empress Rey Palpatine

The First Oder

P.S. She said she looking forward to a lovely time with you during your upcoming visit. She _can’t_ _wait_ to see you again.


	3. Reversals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to point out that I've made the conscious decision to have Rose as Ben's sister as Han and Leia took legal guardianship of both her and Paige after the death of their parents. I had originally had Han and Leia adopt the girls, but after listening to the discussions of those involved in adoption, particularly the from adult adoptive community, and how adoption can be painful for those adult children involved, particularly in regards to the severing of the legal ties to the biological families of the adoptee, I decided to follow their recommendations in regards to legal guardianship as opposed to adoption.
> 
> I hope this makes sense and that it is respectful for all involved. Please let me know if there is something else I should have tagged or if there are other issues I should address. I very much hope this has been done respectfully and please let me know if you have any concerns.
> 
> In the meantime - 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Thursday**

‘Well, that was interesting.’

They were eating in her antechamber today, while her staff cleaned up the mess in her conference room. It would most likely take them a while, so she was glad she’d ordered a hearty meal. The good news was, it would also take a while for her husband to cease stalking around the small room like a large predator searching for his prey, at the same time looking like he was going to break everything he could reach, so at the very least she had an excuse to hide him here for a while, away from prying eyes.

The meeting with the Isodorian ambassador had – not gone well.

It didn’t surprise her, either her husband’s anger or his power. It didn’t surprise the damage he’d just caused, the fear in the ambassador’s eyes, or the way he’d scurried away, glad to be one piece. It would surprise others, when reports of this day leaked out, as they inevitably would, but then, the decision to hide her husband away in the Imperial Archives, to have him ‘retire’ to what he’d been trained to do, to what ultimately had been his life’s passion - work with historical documents - had been a decision they’d made together. It was the first of all they'd done together, had continued to do together, in the wake of all that happened leading up to her ascension as Empress, their marriage and his installation as her consort.

People saw the Jedi lightsaber he carried, the one matched to her own, and they thought of it as ceremonial. They observed how tall and how large he was, it was hard to ignore, but they chose to. Chose to after they saw how quiet and deferential he was, especially in her presence, observed how he spent all his time among the arcane texts in the archives, and they forgot. They forgot he wasn’t ornamental, her large, quiet consort, and they forgot that he is what he chooses to be.

They forgot the rumours that had run rampant around the time of her grandfather’s death.

She and Ben had lied, by omission at the very least, that day they’d taken out her grandfather and Snoke, hidden Ben’s Force training and role in taking out the Emperor and his minions, unsure of the reaction to the grandson of Vader, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, the nephew of Luke Skywalker, having joined with the last Palpatine to enact the final coup. To be honest, neither of them were sure they had the strength to fight the entirety of the First Order to survive that day if they'd had to, so they’d lied. Had Ben standing tall at her side as she sat strong and proud on her grandfather's throne, called in Hux and the others and declared she’d taken over. Had him stand deferentially as she'd declared she'd tired of watching as the decrepit old man had led them to ruin. And they'd let everyone, her and Ben, assume that the powerful Force user who was Palpatine’s granddaughter had taken out the old guard by herself. It fit with her image, the great powerful Empress, She Who Must Be Feared and Obeyed, and kept Ben safe, at least for the time they’d needed to make it through the transition from her grandfather's regime to her own.

And while their marriage had been personal - in that neither could imagine anything else than joining together, could imagine being anything else than at each other’s side - it had also been political. It had surprised no one, not really, the alliance of the last two great houses of the Old Empire (‘alike in dignity’ as the old saying was), and had neatly tied together all matter of connections, all matter of houses.

Skywalker, Palpatine, Organa, Amadala, Solo. Tatooine, Naboo, Alderaan, Corellia. Jedi. Sith.

So yes, their marriage had been political as well as personal - how could it be anything else, really? - and they were still maneuvering through it, this marriage, the complications and the connections which resulted. As at the same time, as with any married couple, they figured out each other and how to live, as well as love, as one.

It had made for an interesting first six months of marriage.

She smiled somewhat sadly at her husband now, as he preyed through the room like a caged loth cat. Lords, he was handsome. If the situation weren’t so serious, she’d suggest skipping dinner in favour of using that convenient table for other purposes. Maybe using that sturdy table to allow him to have her for dessert. (Or at the very least she was tempted to tell the chef to keep dinner warm for an hour or so. It was her husband's favourite, arctic char served with butter and garlic; it would be a shame to have it go to waste.)

‘I thought ambassadors were supposed to be _diplomatic_ ,’ he growled at her, clearly trying to tamp down the urge to break anything further.

The Isodorian ambassador had made the fatal mistake of referring to their respective positions on opposite sides of the conflict that had almost led to a galactic civil war for the second time in a generation. Further, the ambassador had insisted - despite all the hints from those around him, including her staff - on pointing out that she had led her grandfather’s men against the Resistance forces during a skirmish following a raid on Exergol, which meant she was most likely responsible, at the very least at the highest level, for the death of his other sister, Paige Tico. Even if she hadn’t killed her directly, she still bore the weight of it, and everyone who'd been that room had known it. Including the man standing seemingly quietly at her side, her husband, who also happened to be Paige's brother.

‘It’s usually a key requirement for the position, being diplomatic,’ she confirmed softly now, her heart twisting for him, for her, for them.

It was true, she had led the Imperial forces at Exergol, and Paige had died there, her death ripping a hole in her siblings’ hearts, as well in those of her legal guardians, Ben's parents, Han and Leia. The Solos had assumed guardianship for the Tico girls when they’d still been barely more than toddlers, shortly after the death of the elder Tico’s in a shuttle crash. The girls were Ben's sisters in every way and she knew he'd always looked at them that way. 

‘He basically called you a _war criminal_.’

‘A lot of people would agree with him.’

She’d no illusions, about what she’d done, in the service of her grandfather, and she knew that had it gone the other way, there would have been many who would have called for her arrest, trial and execution as a war criminal, especially after the events over Exergol.

Her grandfather had been too hated, his regime too brutal. Her actions as his right-hand unforgivable.

‘I’m not sure I’m redeemable,’ she told him now, holding off how she wanted to end that sentence, unsure if it would be welcome.

_My love._

‘I’m not sure I care. You were a child, Rey. A child groomed by her entire family, by her grandfather to hunt his enemies.’

‘Was I a child when I took you off Coruscant?’

‘No. Were you a child when you joined me to take Palpatine down?’

‘I – I don’t know.’

‘It’s layers of grey, Rey, just as you are. Just as I am. Just as we all are. I have blood on my hands, the same as you. Same as my parents. Same as Rose, Hux, Poe, Finn. Paige, if it comes right down to it. As much as it hurts, as much as I wish - She made her own choices and she would cleave me in half if she was here right now and she thought I was questioning her choices.’

‘I – I don’t know what you expect from me, here.’

‘I don’t know either. I just know that you have to be with me to move forward, and I’m not sure you can if you believe, if you think, that same slop as that prick I just put through a wall. That you’re unredeemable. It's true; you have things to atone for. I do, too. We have our entire lives to do so. But if you want to, I need you to move forward with me.’

‘As you did, just now? Because I’m not sure Hux is strong enough, to survive you, moving forward.’ 

‘Hux will be fine. He just needs to learn how to move out the way quicker if he doesn't want to end up collateral damage.’

She laughed at that one, curling up in his arms as even he stood proudly in the centre of the room, no longer fuming, no longer leaning against the door jamb. She felt him sigh into her hair as her touch calmed him, much as his touch always calmed her.

‘I guess we can’t get by with letting people assume that you’re just my goofy nerd of a husband, anymore, can we?’

‘Goofy? Who are you calling goofy?’

She smiled into his chest, glad to have his arms around her.

‘You know what I mean. We will have to talk about transitioning your role a little bit, especially since people are going to expect more since they'll come to know of your training. And your past.’

‘I can’t get away with just being the "trophy husband" anymore?’

‘Trophy husband? I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with that term,’ she chirped him, unable to resist.

‘You know, handsome, charming, freakishly intelligent. Everything needed to entice and calm my volatile little Empress.’ 

‘Little?’

‘Tiny. See also: Loving. Loyal. Passionate. Quick. Brillant. Beutiful. Powerful. Not to mention: Phenomenal in bed.’

She could feel the blush transition all the way through her cheeks and up to the tips of her ears and down to the bottom of her chest, even as she felt the warm liquid pool in her belly and the pebbling of her nipples.

‘Truly.’

He leaned in to kiss her and she wished she could stay here, in this moment, just the two of them, but her responsibilities, and his, were there, waiting, and she knew they weren’t going anywhere.

‘Not to mention the rumours that are going to start up in regards to my grandfather's… death.’

It was a topic they didn’t usually address openly, given the outcome and the stakes, but with everything that had just transpired with the ambassador, they would no longer be free to ignore quite as openly as they had been able to do in the past. Rumours about his involvement in her grandfather’s death would have to answered, one way or the other. They would have to come to a decision of how to do so, one way or another, and soon.

She sighed. So many decisions, so many consequences, and so many things that needed to be addressed. The only saving grace was that she had him to help her.

‘Maybe you’re right.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Shut it. I meant about getting a kitten and you know it.’

‘I know nothing of the start, sweetheart, though if you are talking about stress relief, I’m sure we can come up with something, though we’d better make a decision soon, before they come to bring in the food.’

‘Ben – ‘

‘You make the call, I’ll get the door.’

‘Ben!’ She was fully engaged in the giggles, now, as she made an attempt to grab him as he headed to bar the door. ‘Later, later. I just meant it would nice for us to cuddle, with a kitten, and each other, from time to time.’

She watched in awe as he channeled his father even as he stood before her.

‘I’m always available for cuddles, as you are well aware sweetheart. But seriously, if you want to cuddle something furry, there might still be a kitten or two available from that litter I found behind the arborarium behind the Archives. In the meantime, for today, I heard a rumour about a certain animal spotted in Hux’s quarters.’

‘Ben Solo!’

‘A cat, a cat! I don't know what you're thinking of. Apparently, Hux has a cat - her name is Milicient - and she’s as ginger as he is, though with a slightly gentler temperament. She’s also much better looking, apparently.’

‘A ginger, you say,’ Rey pondered, thinking of how a beautiful ginger tabby winding around her ankles and curled up in her lap could improve her mood this afternoon.

‘That’s what my source tells me.’

‘And what source would that, be, my Lord Ren?’

‘I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say, Your Majesty, though I assure you, they are remarkably reliable.’

‘Indeed. Well, then, my Lord Consort, following the consumption of the delightful repast that I have ordered for us both - and possibly dessert - it would behoove you to escort your Empress and Queen to our dear, dear General Hux’s rooms so that I might consort with a certain tabby cat this afternoon.’

‘It would be my genuine pleasure to do so. As always, my Queen.’

* * *

From: [a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)

To: [r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)

Re: Available for Consultations in My Quarters

Counselor Rose Tico,

I’m not sure how much we can count on having your brother humanize the Empress for her people if he insists on throwing people in walls with even more force than she does. (I’m fine by the way, thanks for asking. The medical droids say the broken fractures should heal nicely.)

Maybe you could impress upon them that they can at least express their ‘affection’ for each other in public where the holonet can get a good recording? We can always steer into the skid by using the ever-popular ‘scary people in love/lust with each other’ trope. I hear the masses eat that up, and after today, no one’s ever going to believe your brother is soft. Damn it. 

Awaiting your response with bated breath as always, I’m sure.

Warmest regards to the Tyrant of My Heart,

Arms

Armitage Hux

Counselor to Her Imperial Majesty

Empress Rey Palpatine

The First Oder

P.S. On a related note, I would advise you always wear red as much as possible. Even I must admit I noticed how that dress yesterday really set off your colouring (though only as it distracted me from more important matters, you understand). You should wear that dress again when we have dinner so that I can further critique it. As I am an expert in these matters, I am happy to provide my services.

From: [r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:r.tico@firstorder.imperial.com)

To: [a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com](mailto:a.hux@firstorder.imperial.com)

Re: Will Ponder Consultations Accordingly

We’ll see.

Rose Tico

The Advisor to Her Imperial Majesty

Empress Rey Palpatine

The First Oder


End file.
